The Little Mermaid
by Metallic efekt
Summary: What do you get when you combine the little mermaid with bleach? Read this to find out. RenIchi, yaoi, the rating will rise later.


**Hello there! This is my new fic. I've been working on it fore some time now but now I finally got it typed. This is what you get when you combine The Little Mermaid and Bleach. And I want to apologize to everybody who's waiting for the next chappy of Trust me. To be honest, I've not even started on it. I'm kinda, or actually really busy with school and stuff.**

**Please enjoy**

Once upon a time there was a little mermaid who was really interested in humans and the life above the surface. He had been taught to never go near a human because they were evil but he didn't believe it. Ichigo, which was the little mermaid's name, or actually maybe we shouldn't call him that because he was a male, but anyway. Ichigo liked to watch the humans live their daily lives and he didn't think they looked evil at all. Sure, there were bad humans too but not all of the mermaids and mermen were good either so Ichigo wondered why humans and the people of the sea couldn't live together side by side. He had once asked his mother about it before she had died and she had told him that it was because they were too different. Ichigo had come to the conclusion that that wasn't true. He watched the humans almost every day and saw that they did pretty much the same things as they did; they had shops, families and friends who they did all kinds of things with, schools, they worked and they even spoke the same language. The only big difference was the environment they lived in; humans above the surface and the people of the sea under it.

So, wanna take a guess at what Ichigo is doing right now when our story begins?

"Ichigo, we shouldn't be up here. What if the humans see us?"

That's right; he is up to the surface watching the humans again.

"Shut up Keigo, I didn't ask you to come with me so buzz off if you're so scared but I'm staying." Ichigo said from his hiding spot behind a rock. He had seaweeds on top of his head to hide his bright, orange hair. The humans he was watching right now were having a party, a wedding to be precise. A man with long, black hair and a woman also with black hair were getting married on the beach. Behind them, apparently as the best-man and the bridesmaid, stood a man with long red hair and a woman who looked just like the bride, only a little shorter. They were surrounded by lots of other people but the man with red hair was the only one who caught Ichigo's eye. The man had tattoos on his face and neck so Ichigo guessed that he had more under his clothes because the face isn't usually the first place you get a tattoo on. Besides the hair and the tattoos there was something special about that man that the little merman couldn't put his finger on yet but before he could pinpoint it his thoughts were interrupted by that the crowd started to move towards a big ship. Ichigo heard something about a wedding banquet so he assumed that the party would continue on board.

'Guess it's time to go then, it would be too risky to spy on them out on the open sea.' he thought. "Let's go Keigo. Keigo?" he looked around for his friend. 'Hmm, I guess he really left then.' Ichigo turned to cast one last glance on the ship but he saw a pair of cherry colored eyes looking right back at the place he was hiding in. He quickly dove under the water. 'Did he see me? I should've been more careful. Dad will kill me if he finds out that I might have been seen by a human. Not that he wouldn't do it he found out that I come up to the surface almost every day.' Ichigo thought as he was swimming back towards Karakura Town, the home of the majority of the people of the sea in this part of the sea.

"Kurosaki-kun~" someone shouted. Ichigo looked to the side and saw his friends swimming towards him. Firs was a girl with orange hair, much like his own but not quite as bright, huge boobs and a pink tail who was the one who had shouted. Inoue Orihime was her name.

"Hey Inoue."

"Where have you been all day? We thought you were going to hang out with us today." a girl with black hair and a blue tail asked.

"Sorry Tatsuki, I completely lost track of the time." he explained sheepishly.

"So where were you?" Tatsuki questioned again.

"He was up to the surface watching humans again." Keigo answered for him. The brunet had just arrived with Mizuiro, a boy with black hair and a light blue tail.

"Shut up Keigo, it's none of your business." Ichigo retorted.

"So you don't deny it?" Tatsuki asked. Ichigo stayed quiet. "I take that as a no. You do remember that your Dad has told you not to go anywhere near humans right?"

"Yeah but I think he's wrong."

"But Kurosaki-kun, the humans are evil and dangerous. They might hurt you if they see you." Orihime said worriedly.

"No, they aren't. If they are then so are we, they don't differ that much from us."

"do you remember what they did to your Mom?" Tatsuki said but she immediately regretted it. Ichigo flinched and his scowl deepened.

"Don't bring her into this." he spat. "There are bad humans just like there are bad people among us." he continued with a venomous voice before he swam past his friends. His mother was a touchy subject for him and now he needed to be alone for a while and then he might talk to someone who would listen to him.

"Ichigo! Wait!" Tatsuki shouted after her childhood friend. "I'm...sorry." she trailed off when realized that Ichigo wasn't listening.

"It looks like ya pissed him off Arisawa." a new voice commented. The newcomer was Ishida Uryuu, a boy with black hair, glasses and a dull-gray tail. Everybody knew he had a crush on Orihime except Orihime herself and Ichigo who wasn't very observant when it came to relationships.

"Shut up Ishida! It's not like you care anyway, you hate Ichigo because he is stronger than you." Tatsuki snapped.

"I am not jealous of that idiot."Ishida retorted.

"I didn't say you were but it's true, you can deny it all you want but it's still true."

"I am not going to argue with people like you, I have better things to do." Ishida said and swam away.

"Yeah, like sulking alone with your books." Tatsuki mumbled.

"Tatsuki-chan, should we go and look for Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked.

"No, I'll apologize to him when he gets back. He probably wants to be alone for a while." Tatsuki answered.

"Okay." Orihime said a little unsure. Tatsuki noticed it.

"Don't worry about Ichigo, he'll definitely come back in a few hours. Whenever he gets upset he swims off and hides somewhere, I don't know where, I haven't been able to find him even once and then he goes and talks to Zangetsu or Shirosaki if he feels like it. I promise you that he'll be okay." she explained to the worried girl.

"I understand, thank you for telling me this."

"No problem. Wanna go to Chad's café?"

"Yes, can I have one of those delicious cakes they make there Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime was practically bouncing at the thought.

"Of course Hime-chan. You guys coming too?" she asked Keigo and Mizuiro.

"Sure." Mizuiro answered.

"If Inoue-san is going then so am I." Keigo announced.

"Let's go everybody! Time to eat some cake!" Orihime exclaimed. The others laughed and they swam away towards Chad's café.

Let's get back to Ichigo again. The orange haired merman was sitting in a small cave that was hidden behind a thick curtain of seaweeds and other plants. It was extremely hard to find a way through the seaweeds and that was why no one else had found the cave and it also made it the perfect hiding place. To Ichigo the cave was more than a place to come to when he wanted to be alone; it was also a place he hid all the thing he found that were from the human world. He had all kinds of jewelery, weapons, dishes and other things he had found in shipwrecks or just lying around on the sea floor.

"Damn it Tatsuki, why did you have to bring her up?" he asked aloud. Ichigo had always blamed himself for his mother's death. He thought that if he hadn't asked her to show him the world above the surface she would still be alive. A human had thrown a harpoon towards Ichigo and his mother had pushed him out of the way and gotten hit instead. He didn't know why the human had done it but he had seen that the other humans on the ship had tried to stop him. To Ichigo that was proof of that not all humans were evil. He had tried to convince his friends and family of it but they didn't believe him. Well, almost all of them hadn't; he had two friend who believed him: Zangetsu and Shirosaki. Zangetsu was an old family-friend and Shirosaki was a boy who Zangetsu had taken in. To Ichigo Shirosaki, or Shiro as he called him, was something between a friend and a boyfriend; they fooled around and experimented together sometimes but they weren't actually dating.

'Why can't they even try to get to know the truth about humans? They won't listen to me; they treat me like a kid who can't possibly know something they don't. Only Shiro and Zangetsu listen to me. And Urahara but he doesn't take me seriously so it's the same as not listening.' he thought and decided to go and see if Shiro was home.

Ichigo swam out of the cave through the seaweed that grew in front of it and inside the short tunnel. Before he was completely outside he peaked out to make sure that no one was around and then he headed for Zangetsu's and Shiro's house. Once there he knocked and waited for someone to open. Soon a man with long, brown hair, sunglasses and a really dark-gray, almost black, tail opened the door.

"Hello Ichigo, long time no see." the man said.

"Hi Zangetsu, is Shiro home?"

"Yes, I believe so unless he sneaked out while I was meditating. Look for him in his room." Zangetsu said and let Ichigo inside.

"Thanks Zangetsu." Ichigo said and swam up to the second floor where Shiro's room was located. He opened the door and went in but Shiro was nowhere to be seen.

"Shiro?" he asked.

"What is it King?" someone said and wrapped their arms around his waist from behind.

"I've told you not to call me that Shiro." Ichigo mumbled and leaned into the embrace. "I'm not a king.

"But ya will be once yer Dad hands the throne over ta ya. The king of Karakura." Shiro whispered. Ichigo shivered when Shiro's breath tickled his ear.

"What if I don't wanna be a king? If I wanna be just Ichigo, a normal person."

"You're special, you're a pure blood, unlike most of the people who live 'ere. But ya'll always be 'just Ichigo' ta me. You're one of the few people who don't think I'm a hollow or some other kind of monster 'cause of my looks."

Shiro didn't look like normal people. He had white hair, skin and tail and his eyes were black with yellow irises which often lead to people thinking that he was a hollow, a monster who devoured the souls of both humans and sea-people. Ichigo had saved Shiro from getting killed by a group of men who thought he was a hollow and at firs Shiro had hated him for it, saying that he would have been fine without help but later they had become best friends. Shiro still avoided public places and he rarely joined up with Ichigo's other friends so Ichigo usually visited him at home or some place outside the actual town.

"Thanks Shiro."

"So King, why did ya come 'ere? Was it just ta see me or...?"

"Do I need a reason to come and see my best friend?"

"Nah but my guess is that there's one anyway."

"Well yeah. I wanted to see someone who doesn't think I'm crazy because I don't hate humans. The only people who do that are you and Zangetsu." Ichigo explained and turned around in Shiro's arms so that he was facing his friend.

"Did yer friends start lecturing ya about how humans are so evil and dangerous again?"

"Yeah. I know they're worried about me when I go up to the surface but they don't even try to understand the humans.. They haven't even seen a human with their own eyes except for Keigo who followed me today but he left almost immediately after we arrived. If they would care to watch the humans for a while they'd see that humans aren't that different from us."

"I know Ichi but I guess everybody can't be as open-minded as we are." Shiro said and pulled Ichigo over to the bed. They laid down on their backs next to each other and Ichigo rested his head on Shiro's shoulder. "So what were the humans doing taday?"

"They were holding a wedding I think. A man with long, black hair was getting married to a short woman who also had black hair. The bridesmaid looked exactly like the bride, maybe she was her sister." This was another thing Ichigo liked about Shiro; he always wanted to know what Ichigo had seen on the surface. He never got bored when Ichigo described all the details of everything.

"Maybe. What about the best man?"

"He was a tall guy with tattoos and red hair, didn't look like someone the groom would hang out with. The groom looked like a noble and very strict while the other guy looked more…playful and easy-going. There was also something special about the best man. I don't know what it was; I just got this weird feeling when I looked at him. And he might have seen me when I looked away for a sec."

"He saw ya?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure but he was looking straight at me when I looked back."

"Ya seem ta be pretty interested in the redhead, do ya like him?" Shiro asked with a smirk.

Ichigo turned to his side, propping himself up on one arm. "What? N-no! I mean, how could I? I don't know him at all and even if I did like him it wouldn't matter; he's human and I'm a merman."

Shiro laughed and pulled the other into a hug. "I know, it's just fun ta tease ya King." he said and placed a kiss on Ichigo's lips. "But ya are interested in 'im right?"

Ichigo hid his face in the crook of Shiro's neck and mumbled: "Just a little. Or maybe more than just a little. I don't know, he just seemed special."

"That's okay King." Shiro assured and stroked his hair. They stayed like that until Ichigo after a while asked something.

"What kind of relationship do we actually have Shiro? Are we just friends or are we lovers?"

Shiro was quiet for a moment before he answered. "We sure as hell aren't just friends but I wouldn't say that we are lovers either. We're more like…friends with benefits. Why do ya ask? Have ya found someone ya like?"

"No, just wondering. I like you a lot but I don't think it's in a romantic way. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure. It's the same with me; I like ya a lot but it's more in a best friend kind of way. But it's still fun ta kiss an' fool around with ya sometimes, don'tcha think?"

"Yeah. If I hadn't met you I probably still wouldn't have gotten even my first kiss yet."

"That's right, ya'd still be a virgin if it wasn't fer me." Shiro grinned.

"Shut up." Ichigo said with a blush. "You don't have to sound so proud of yourself."

"But it's true Ichi."

"Hai, hai; as ya wish King." Shiro chuckled.

"Wanna go an' get somethin' ta drink?"

"Sure."

They went into the kitchen and Shiro served them some seaberry juice.

"How have you been?" Ichigo asked.

"Fine like always. Been training with Zan, getting inta fights an' just lazing aroun'. Life's pretty borin' when ya aren't around King."

"I take that as a compliment."

"It was meant ta be one. What's up Zan?" Shiro asked Zangetsu who had just swam into the kitchen.

"There is a huge storm on the surface. It might cause strong currents which might damage this world as well. You should be careful Ichigo if you're going to go home today but ya can stay here if you want."

"Thanks Zangetsu but I'll have to go home; I promised Yuzu that I'd be home for dinner. Maybe next time." Ichigo smiled.

"I see. I guess you have to go then if you promised the princess.

"Dinner's at seven at yer place right?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Then ya have 15 minutes ta get home on time."

"What? Oh shit, it's that late already. I gotta go, see you later Shiro, Zangetsu." Ichigo shouted as he left. Shiro was cackling loudly behind him.

When Ichigo was about halfway home a strong current suddenly caught him and threw him right into a bush of seaweeds. That reminded him of the storm Zangetsu told him about. Then a thought hit Ichigo: What if the ship the wedding party was held on hadn't made it back to the city or wherever it was headed? What if the guy with red hair drowned? Then he wouldn't be able to spy on him again. Or what if the whole ship sank and all of the passengers drowned? He figured that that would be a pretty crappy ending for the wedding and the newly married couple. Ichigo stopped for a moment before he made his decision. He asked a bypassing fish to go and tell his family that he'd be late for dinner by using the language of the sea, the language used by all animals and people under water. The seapeople had learned the human language a long time ago from the humans when they were still getting a long but only a few that nowadays. Everybody thought that they had always been speaking two languages and they didn't know that one of them was the same as the humans'.

After he'd done that Ichigo started asking every fish he saw if they had seen the ship. None of them had seen it but they promised to ask other fish who came from places further away. Ichigo thanked them and continued looking himself. Soon a group of dolphins swam up to him and told him that the ship was caught in the storm only a few kilometers away, trying to get back to the city. One of the dolphins offered him a ride there and Ichigo agreed because even though he was fast, a dolphin was always faster.

Only a few minutes later they arrived at the right place and Ichigo swam up to the surface. The waves were huge. Some of them even washed over the ship threatening to wash everybody outside down into the sea. He scanned the ship with his eyes and came to the conclusion that everything seemed to be okay for now. He also spotted the redhead standing on the deck together with the newly married couple and the bridesmaid. Ichigo wondered what they were doing outside when they could've been inside with the guests but his thoughts were interrupted by a wave that was even bigger than the ones from before. It swept the bride, who had let go of her husband for a little moment, down into the sea while the others had managed to hold on to something.

"Hisana!" the rave haired man shouted.

"Get me a rope!" the redhead shouted to the crew. When he go it he tied on end to the railing, grabbed the other end and jumped headfirst into the water.

"Renji!" the other woman shouted.

'So his name is Renji.' Ichigo thought while holding on to the now unconscious woman. He was careful to stay hidden behind her back.

"When the man named Renji was close enough to get a hold of the bride Ichigo let go so he wouldn't be seen but he stayed close right under the surface so that he could help the humans if needed. Everything seemed to be okay until a huge wave hit them. Renji was pulled away from the woman and he lost his grip on the rope. They both started to sink. Ichigo thought about his options and made his decision quickly. He grabbed the rope and tied it around the woman and pulled at it to let the people on the ship know that they could pull her up before quickly diving down to Renji. The man had sank pretty deep already because he had been pulled along with a current. Ichigo grabbed him under the arms and swam up to the surface. There he noticed that the ship was pretty far away already so he decided to take Renji to the shore. The others would probably think that he had drowned but the chance that he would live was bigger that way.

When they finally made it to a small beach not too far away from the city Ichigo was exhausted. They way had been hard because of the extra weight and the waves since he had to keep the man's head above the surface. The storm had stilled about halfway there but it had still been straining. Ichigo had pulled the man out of the water which was really hard considering that he didn't have legs and that Renji was a lot heavier on land than in water. He was now sitting next to the other, admiring his looks. The man was still unconscious but he was breathing normally after having coughed up some water. Ichigo couldn't help but trace his tattoos with his fingers. He had been right; they continued down under his collar. He had this strong urge to kiss the unconscious male. 'Damn it, Shiro was right; I do like him even though I don't know him at all.' Ichigo thought before giving in to the urge. He pressed his lips against the ones below. When he pulled back the other started mumbling and moving a little. 'Sit, he's waking up.' Ichigo thought and started dragging himself back to the water. When he got into water deep enough to swim in he swam behind a rock to watch the redhead.

Soon the man sat up and looked around, probably wondering where he was. The he spotted a big, whit tower towering over the trees. It stood in the middle of the city so Ichigo guessed that he knew how to get back when he stood up and started to walk on wobbly feet towards the tower.

When Ichigo couldn't see Renji anymore he decided to head home. The sun was setting and he was already late for dinner.

"Ichi-nii! Where have you been? We were so worried." a girl with blond hair and a pink tail with hints of gold in it asked the moment he came in through the door.

"Calm down Yuzu. I sent a message that I'd be late. Didn't it get here?"

"Yes but it didn't say where you were."

"I was helping a friend with an emergency situation. Sorry I didn't make it back for dinner."

"It's okay; I put the leftovers in the fridge. Is your friend okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine now. This looks delicious Yuzu." Ichigo said when he took out a plate of food from the fridge.

"Thank you Ichi-nii. I'll go watch some TV (don't ask me how a fridge or a TV works under water 'cos I've got no idea) now, leave the plate in the sink when you are done."

"Okay. By the way, where's dad?"

"At some kind of meeting, he said he'd be home late."

"I see."

Ichigo ate in silence as he thought about the kiss he had stolen. It had been short and brief but now he was sure he loved Renji, a man he had never even spoken to and knew nothing about besides his name. But Renji was a human and even if he managed to find a way for them to be together he couldn't be sure that Renji would like him back; he didn't even know if he was gay. 'Guess I should stop dreaming about something that's impossible and go and finish my homework.' Ichigo thought and got up, washed the plate and put it away before heading to his room.

**~above the surface~**

Someone knocked on the gates of the Kuchiki-mansion. One of the maids cracked the gate open to see wanted to get in at such a late hour. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Abarai-fukutaicho! You're alive! Come in; Kuchiki-sama, Hisana-sama and especially Rukia-sama have been worried. They thought you had drowned." she said as she led him towards the house. "Wait here, I'll notify Kuchiki-sama that you're here."

"Thank you." the wet fukutaicho mumbled before the maid ran out of the room.

She hurried down the halls to the living room where the Kuchiki-family currently was. She knocked and waited for permission to enter. When she got it she entered and bowed.

"Excuse me for disturbing but Abarai-fukutaicho is here."

"Renji?" the younger of the two women asked. Her eyes were red from crying.

"Hai, Rukia-sama."

"Are you sure?" the man asked.

"Hai, it's most definitely Abarai-fukutaicho unless he has an identical twin. He has the lieutenant's insignia and he is wet, almost as if he has been swimming with his clothes on."

"It's Renji! Where is he?" Rukia asked and stood up.

"He is waiting in the aula Rukia-sama."

"Come with me Mei-chan, I need to make sure he is okay." Rukia said and ran out of the room.

"Hai, Rukia-sama. Shitsurei shimasu." Mei added and bowed to Hisana and her husband before hurrying after Rukia.

"We should go as well Byakuya-sama." Hisana said

"Yes, we should."

Back in the aula Renji was dozing off until he heard someone shout his name.

"Renji!"

He looked to the side and saw Rukia and the maid running towards him.

"Rukia." he managed to say before the said girl jumped at him and caught him in a tight hug.

"I'm so happy that you're okay Renji; we thought you had drowned. You're not hurt are you?" Rukia asked.

"Nah, I'm fine Rukia. Just wet, cold an' a little tired."

"Mei-chan, could you please prepare a hot bath and a clean set of clothes for Renji." Rukia said to the maid.

"Right away Rukia-sama." Mei said and bowed.

"I'd like you to also tell someone in the kitchen to prepare tea and something to eat for us and ask someone to prepare a guest room for Abarai-fukutaicho." a voice said from the door.

"Hai, Kuchiki-sama." Mei said and left the room.

"There's no need for any of that, I just came to tell you that I'm alive. I'll just go home; I don't want to cause any trouble for you Kuchiki-taicho."

"That is out of the question Abarai-fukutaicho; you saved my wife so this is the least I can do." Kuchiki-taicho said.

"I would also like you to stay Abarai-san. Please accept our gratitude." Hisana said with a kind smile.

"Okay then, if you put it that way. I'll stay." Renji gave in.

"Of course you will baka!" Rukia said and smacked him up his head. "Come on, I'll show you to the bathing area. Then you can tell us what happened."

"Yes, we would also like hear that. Ask Mei to show you to the living room when you are done."

"I will Hisana-san."

Rukia led him through the hallways and soon they arrived at the bathing area.

"Here. Everything you need should be in there, if not, call Mei; she should be back in a bit. And one more thing; don't take too long, you know that Nii-sama doesn't like to wait."

"Sure thing Rukia. I'll be there within an hour." Renji promised and went inside.

There he undressed and slipped into the warm water. The water felt almost too hot because his skin was so cold.

"Hmm…feels good." he sighed and sank almost completely under the surface.

Renji started to think about what had really happened earlier. Hisana had been saved but he didn't remember managing to tie the rope around her. 'Maybe someone else jumped in after me? But then again the Kuchikis thanked me, so I guess that's not it. Maybe I just don't remember it.'

He soaked a while longer before he washed himself and got out of the bath. He grabbed a fluffy towel and dried himself before checking out the clothed left there for him. It was a simple, green Yukata with light green bamboo patterns. There was also a pair of socks and underwear. Surprisingly they fitted him perfectly and soon he was ready to leave.

Mei was waiting for him outside the door.

"Was the bath okay Abarai-fukutaicho?" she asked.

"Yeah and the clothes fit perfectly too, thank you." Renji replied with a smile. The maid blushed. "Could ya show me to the living room please?"

"Hai, this way please."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job."

"Do ya like yer job Mei-chan, was it?"

"Oh very much Abarai-fukutaicho. Kuchiki-sama treats me and the others well and Hisana-sama and Rukia-sama are really kind. We can take breaks when we aren't needed and we also get days off and vacations to visit friends and relatives on. Sorry, I'm talking too much now; please excuse me Abarai-fukutaicho."

"Not at all and call me Renji; Abarai-fukutaicho is so formal. Do ya and the others live here?"

"Okay Renji-san. Yes, part of the time. We all have our own houses where we stay during vacations and when we have more than one day off but otherwise we live in our own rooms here in a separate building. They are really nice."

"Sound pretty nice. I have my own house on the outskirts of Seireitei, close to the sea. It's not huge but it's enough for me."

"That sounds really nice too. Ah, here we are." Mei announced before knocking on the door and opening it. "Kuchiki-sama, Renji-san is here."

"Let him in."

"Hai. Do you need anything else Kuchiki-sama?"

"No, thank you Mei; you may leave for tonight."

"Thank you Kuchiki-sama." Mei bowed and left.

"Sit down Renji." Rukia ordered and patted the place next to her. Hisana poured some tea for all of them.

"Thank you." Renji said when he got his cup.

"Tell us what happened after you jumped off the ship Abarai-fukutaicho."

"Well, I swam over to Hisana-san and tried to tie the rope around her but then a huge wave hit us and I lost my grip on both Hisana-san and the rope. The next thing I remember is waking up on a beach outside Seireitei. I don't remember how I got there but I think I felt someone touch me right before I woke up. It could have been just my imagination, I don't know."

"Maybe a mermaid saved you?" Rukia suggested playfully.

"Don't joke about things like that Rukia. Do you know how to tie a knot like this Abarai-fukutaicho?" Byakuya asked and showed Renji a rope tied to a knot.

"No, I don't Kuchiki-taicho. Is that…" Renji replied after inspecting it.

"Yes, this it the nd of the rope that was tied around Hisana. None of the sailors knew how to tie on either; they had never seen a knot like this. However, they could tell me that it is brilliant; it's fast to make, easy to open but it won't come undone by itself. Perfect for use in wet places. Have you heard the stories about the people of the sea?" Byakuya suddenly asked.

"Yes but I always thought they were just fairytales for kids. Do you mean that they are…true?"

"Yes. There really are people that live under the water. Or at least there was, no one has managed to get any proof of their existence during the past 500 years. Humans used to have close ties to them but after some kind of conflict the ties were broken and now most humans don't even know they exist or existed. Every now and then someone claims to have seen a mermaid but as I said, no one has gotten any proof of it. If they still exist it's not impossible that you and Hisana were saved by one them."

'That's pro'lly the longest I've heard Kuchiki-taicho talk in one go.' Renji thought. "But if they don't like humans why did one of them save us?"

"I do not know the answer to that. It's late and I'm sure we all could use some sleep."

Renji took that as his cue to leave.

"Thank you for letting me stay here."

"I already told you that it's the least we can do. You will also take a day off tomorrow, no objections."

"If you insist Kuchiki-taicho. Good night Kuchiki-taicho, Hisana-san, Rukia, I'll see you tomorrow.

All the members of the Kuchiki-family wished him good night and Renji left the room for the part of the mansion where the guest rooms were located. Soon he found the room that was meant for him and inside the he found everything he needed for the night. It didn't take long before he was fast asleep.

The next morning when Renji woke up everybody else had already left for work so he ate breakfast by himself before heading back to his own house. There he put on a clean set of clothes. Since he had nothing better to do he decided to go to the beach he had woken up on yesterday.

Finding the beach turned out to be a little harder than he thought. Renji didn't remember exactly where he had come from and the area was filled with threes and bushes. Eventually he found it and looked around. It looked like no one else had been there and Renji wasn't surprised; the beach wasn't visible from Seireitei and the forest surrounding it was so thick that no one would wander there by accident. All in all it was a really beautiful place.

Suddenly Renji heard music coming from the direction of the sea. It sounded like a flute but it was somehow different from the flutes he had heard before; it sounded more…sea-like. Renji looked around for the source and saw someone sitting with their back turned to him on a rock in the water. The person had orange hair that reached the base of their neck and they were playing something that looked like a flute. The melody was sad and Renji couldn't help but stop and listen.

"That was beautiful but why are ya sittin' there?" he asked when the stranger stopped playing. The stranger looked over their shoulder and Renji looked into a pair of alarmed, brown eyes before the person jumped into the water. Renji couldn't believe his eyes when he caught a glimpse of a tail.

"A mermaid? Kuchiki-taicho was…"

"I'm NOT a mermaid! Or do I look like a girl to you?"

Renji nearly fell on his ass in chock.

"I'm…sorry?" he offered. He hadn't expected that the orange haired _boy_ would jump up and yell at him. Then it hit him. "Wait, ya can speak our language?" he asked.

"Are you sure that it's your language?" the boy asked in return.

"Isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. But we usually speak the same language while talking to other people."

"So ya do have an own language?"

"Yeah."

"How come ya use our language then?"

"We learned it from you a long time ago; most of us don't even know that. They think we came up with it. Are we done playing twenty questions now?"

"Ya didn't have ta answer, ya could've just left. Why didn't ya?"

The boy blushed a little. "I-I was curious. I wanted to know what you were doing here; no one has ever come here before. And I kinda like…watching humans." the boy admitted sheepishly.

"Watching us? Why?"

"Pretty much all of my people think that humans are evil and dangerous; they never come up to the surface. I know that it isn't true. I guess I do it to remind myself that I'm right. And it's kinda fun too 'cause everything up here is the same and yet so different at the same time. Did that make any sense?"

"I think so. What's yer name? I'm Abarai Renji."

"Kurosaki Ichigo and if you dare make even one strawberry joke I will kill you. My name doesn't mean strawberry, it means one protector."

Renji was glad Ichigo had said that because he had just been about to blurt out something strawberry-related. The teen looked like he wasn't kidding when he said he would kill him if he did.

"I'll keep that in mind. Can ya come a little closer so we don't have ta raise our voices so much?"

"No, I prefer to stay here where I can swim freely. I don't have legs like you do."

"Is it okay if I come over there then?" Renji asked.

"What?" Ichigo said surprised.

"Can I come over there?" Renji repeated.

"Umm…Sure, if you want to."

Renji stripped to his underwear and walked into the water. When he was waist-deep into the water he started swimming. The water was warm like it always was around Seireitei.

Farther away Ichigo was blushing furiously; his crush was almost naked right in front of him. He sank down under the surface to cool his burning face. 'God he is HOT.' he thought before he re-surfaced. He came face-to-face with Renji and all his effort to cool down his face went to waste. He moved back with a yelp while blushing dark red.

"Whoah, easy there. Ya look even better close up."

"T-thanks…I guess. You don't look too bad either." Ichigo replied. 'What I mean is that you are absolutely gorgeous.' he thought to himself. What did you wanna talk about?"

"Who said anything about talking? Maybe I just wanted ta see ya close up." Ichigo stared at Renji in disbelief.

"What?"

"Just kidding…or actually not; I really wanted ta see ya close up but I also wanted ta ask some more things. Can I?"

"You already did but sure, we can continue to play twenty questions. I won't promise that I'll answer everything though."

"Fair enough. I think I saw someone watching me yesterday in the harbor around noon. Was it you?" Renji asked.

"…Yeah, it was me." Ichigo admitted.

"Someone also save me from the water during the storm. Any idea who it was?"

"That was also me."

"Did you save a woman too?"

"Yeah."

"Why did ya do it?"

"I…I didn't want you to die I guess. It's in my nature to help other people."

"Thank you fer doing it."

"No problem. More questions?"

"Tons of 'em. Can I see yer tail?" Ichigo jumped up on the rock so that his silver tail was visible. "Cool…Do they come in different colors?" Renji asked as his hand over it. Ichigo had to suppress a moan.

"Yeah. Only the royal family has silver and gold on their tails though. They say that it's pretty rare to have a completely silver colored tail."

"The Royal family? That means ya are…?"

"A prince? Yeah. I'm supposed to become the king soon but I don't really wanna."

"Hoe come? Isn't it every boy's dream ta become king?"

"Not mine; I just wanna be me. As a king I'd have no freedom; I'd have to attend meetings, parties, make a lot of decisions and I'd never be free to go where I want, at least not without a bodyguard. I'd never be able to come to the surface again. Why am I even telling you this, I've known you for less than an hour?"

"Maybe ya like me."

"…" Ichigo's face turned red once again. "I-I…Umm…I…" he stuttered but then he heard a dolphin shout something to him. "I gotta go; my dad's looking for me and he'll kill me if he finds me here."

"Wait!" Ichigo froze. "Will I see you again?"

Ichigo looked at Renji and thought about it for a second; he really wanted to meet the redhead again. "Come here at sunset; I'll be here. Come alone."

"Of course. I'll see ya then."

Ichigo dove and left Renji alone with his thoughts.

'What an interesting guy…and hot too.' Renji thought as he floated on his back in the sunshine.

**So how was it? A whole lot of questions in this chappy. Please review**


End file.
